'Complete joke': Boxing world erupts over Paul Gallen 'disgrace'

Aussie boxing fans are fuming after Paul Gallen KO'd Lucas Browne inside two minutes of their heavyweight showdown on Wednesday night.

Gallen maintained his unbeaten professional record with a sensational first-round knockout of the former world champion in Wollongong.

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Furious all week about Browne dismissing him as a "footballer", the retired rugby league great sent 'Big Daddy' to the canvas twice inside the first two minutes with a series of devastating blows to the head.

Browne was given a standing count on the first occasion but was unable to continue after being laid out a second time.

"I don't know why, but I woke up this morning and I didn't say it to anyone but I knew within myself I'm going to win in the first round. I'm going to knock him out in the first round," Gallen said.

"I kept saying to myself I'm going to knock him out in the first round - and it happened."

Despite Gallen's stunning performance, the Aussie boxing community was left fuming over the two-minute farce.

“I don’t know what to say about Browne’s performance,” tweeted Daily Telegraph writer Jamie Pandaram.

Aussie boxer Billy Dib replied: “I do. Pathetic.”

Aussie boxing legend Barry Michael revealed he had rumours that Browne hadn't been training for the fight and urged him to quit the sport.

“I did hear rumours about his training camp that he wasn’t looking good,” Michael said.

“But I still did believe that with his experience and punching power… but I admit I got that totally wrong.

“He showed no resilience whatsoever. His resilience is gone. When a fighter is shot, a fighter is shot. Lucas Browne should never consider venturing into a ring again.

“I think it should be (the end). How’s he going to come back from that?”

Paul Kent added: “I didn’t expect Lucas Browne to go down so easily. I didn’t see a clear concussive punch… For a flurry of punches to put him down in the first round surprises me.”

Fans flocked to social media to slam the fight as a "joke" and "disgrace".

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Gallen entered the ring as the underdog, with Browne insisting he'd be the one to land the knockout blow.

But, urged on by his 2016 premiership-winning teammate Andrew Fifita and several other Sharks in the near-sellout crowd, it was Gallen who lived up to his own pre-fight promise to destroy Browne's career.

"I had confidence in my chin against a guy like this," Gallen said.

"The more I train and the more I spar in the sport of boxing (the better I get."

Gallen ranked his win among the highlights of his career.

"Nothing will replace the premiership that I won with the Sharkies," he said.

"I'm a prize fighter, I'm not here for titles. I'm about taking fights that people want to see," he said.

"I'll be having as many fights as I can so I can cash in."

Now undefeated in a dozen bouts, Gallen collected almost half a million dollars for his latest victory, which has likely set up another monster pay day later in the year against budding Olympian Justin Huni.

Browne is scheduled to meet Huni before the latter heads to the Tokyo Olympics as an amateur but that blockbuster could be in doubt after Wednesday night's showing from the 42-year-old.

with AAP

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